Banner Season: Queen’s stun Laurier to win the 117th edition of the Yates Cup
WATERLOO, Ont. — The #6-ranked Queen’s Gaels ended Laurier’s undefeated season and captured the 117th Yates Cup with a 30–27 win over the top-ranked Golden Hawks on Saturday afternoon in Waterloo.
In front of capacity crowd of 4,500 fans at University Stadium, Queen’s was led by quarterback Alex Vreeken, who threw for 169 yards and a touchdown while adding another score on the ground, in jumping out to a commanding 27–3 halftime lead before holding off a furious second-half comeback from Laurier to claim their first Yates Cup title since 2009 and 24th overall.
Vreeken connected with Cedric Smith for a 14-yard touchdown midway through the opening quarter to start the scoring.
Tyler Mullan added three field goals, including a 46-yarder in the second, while Justin Pace’s 33-yard interception return for a touchdown helped Queen’s take control before halftime.
Running back Jared Chisari added 61 yards on the ground and 53 through the air, while Smith finished with 56 receiving yards to go along with his touchdown.
Laurier quarterback Cal Wither threw for 288 yards and a touchdown but was intercepted four times under heavy defensive pressure from the Gaels.
Jesulayomi Ojutalayo led all receivers with seven catches for 83 yards and a fourth-quarter touchdown, while Ryan Hughes added eight receptions for 79 yards.
Quentin Scott rushed for 88 yards and scored Laurier’s first major of the game early in the third quarter.
After falling behind 30–13 late in the third, Laurier rallied with back-to-back touchdown drives in the fourth quarter — an eight-yard pass from Wither to Ojutalayo and a one-yard plunge from William Russell — cutting the deficit to three.
However, Queen’s defence, led by Jared Siewe (10.5 tackles) and Pace (seven tackles, interception, fumble recovery), held firm in the closing minutes to secure the upset.
"It's a great group of human beings all the way through the entire department, the entire football program," said Queen's Football Head Coach Steve Snyder. "They care so much. They have been through a lot. Everybody's got their own story and they stay committed. The commitment and resiliency and emotional toughness of this group is unlike any group I've ever been around.
"I'm just happy for Queen's," Snyder continued. "I'm happy for Kingston, Ont. and all of our alumni and all of our students, all of our supporters. This is for everyone that's ever put on the Tricolour, and that's ever laid a brick to the foundation to what is now the 2025 team. We've got a lot of amazing supporters, great alumni. The guys that I've coached since 2019, this is for them, because they helped build this. This team finished it off but there is a lot of people that built this thing up, including Linda Melnick, our Executive Director."
"It means everything," Pace, who was named Player of the Game, post-game. "I came to Queen's for one reason only and it's to win the Yates Cup and the next games after. To see these guys get rewarded after all these years, it's amazing!"
With the victory, Queen’s will now advance to the U SPORTS Mitchell Bowl national semifinal on Saturday, November 15, to be hosted by the Saskatchewan Huskies, the Canada West winner of the Hardy Bowl.
